Reviews

Quick summary: One Hitter Trip, Jhené Aiko’s sophomore album, is an auditory hallucination, where we are witnessing the out-of-body experience of Jhené in all of her raw honesty and introspective lyrics. It’s as if Jhené emerged from the depths of lovers’ abyss to host a psychedelic party, with pieces of her mind as hors d’oeuvre. Fans of . . .

“More chune fo ya head top so watch how you speak on my name”. With that quick phrase following a soul stirring sample, Aubrey “Drake” Graham took the world by storm once again, delivering his much anticipated “playlist,” More Life. Coming off his most successful commercial album, Views, Drake has returned with the swagger only . . .

This isn’t an album review. This is bible study. On Valentine’s Day, God sent his only begotten son to announce the release of his new album, Future. We won’t call it self-titled, we’ll call it self-loved. And hey, I know what you’re thinking, too. “Oh, the album just dropped. You’re downloading leaks! That’s not right!” Gah-damn . . .

What can be said about Big Sean that hasn’t already been said by the man himself? The rapper whose flow was described by Don Cheadle as being like “jazz syncopation” has returned with the follow up to his breakthrough Dark Sky Paradise album. For anyone who may have been following Big Sean since the Finally . . .

I’ve had my heart broken a few times. I’ve been lied to, cheated on and called out of my name. But life goes on, right? Of course it does, but these things stick with you and words have meaning. They hold power. They can build you up, and they can tear you down. I haven’t . . .

If anxiety is an issue for you, you understand that quieting your mind is extremely difficult. I’ve adopted a few techniques to aid in in my journey, including yoga and meditation. A certain stillness and calm washes over me when in meditation. The slow, steady, deliberate movements and the patterned chants provide structure to my . . .

UK indie electronic rock band The xx returns to deliver I See You, their first full album in five years. The record is stated to have been following an inspirational lead from Jamie xx’s solo debut, In Colour. This record takes a bolder stance sonically than the past two records, Coexist and XX, while still remaining . . .

Chris McClenney had quite the 2016. He produced “Outta Sight/Dark Lavender” on D.R.A.M.’s debut album, was highlighted on Spotify’s Fresh Finds playlist, and also made a spot for himself on their viral charts. If you’re hip to Soulection, you may already be familiar with Chris McClenney and the EP he dropped for their White Label Series. . . .

In a year full of highly anticipated “come-back” albums via the return of Frank Ocean, Ab-Soul, & Charles Hamilton, the release of Kid Cudi’s next entry to the rap ecosphere holds a particular interest for several reasons. Long considered the “Lord of the sad and lonely,” Kid Cudi’s star potential has been focused on delivering . . .

18 years! 18 years! Seemed like a lifetime to fans and now that it’s finally here. . . Chad Batka At their inception, A Tribe Called Quest trail-blazed a lane for alternative hip hop by leaning heavily on an infusion of afro-centric consciousness and jazz elements in a genre that, at the time, was most . . .

The Weeknd shines as he continues his evolutionary trek on Starboy High Snobiety After what seemed like years of being stuck on Thursday, The Weeknd has teamed up with Daft Punk to deliver Starboy, a true coming of age LP. I define a coming of age album as one that truly shows mastery of whatever qualities initially attracted us to . . .

After building up momentum by working with Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment on Surf, Chance the Rapper on Coloring Book, and dropping his hit single, “Broccoli” with Lil Yachty, D.R.A.M., whose name stands for for “Does Real Ass Music,” is ready to make a name for himself. Hailing from Hampton, Virginia, which is part of . . .

I feel better than I ever have, you know? I’ve been sad my whole life, but fuck that. I know I have good things ahead. I don’t know honestly if I’m fully, 100 percent happy, but I’m starting to get there.”- Kaytranada (The Fader, 2016) A few days ago I turned 23, and I’ve never been . . .

James Blake‘s third studio album, The Colour In Anything, came on the heels of the ending of a two and a half year long relationship with someone I was planning on eventually having big headed kids running around with. The stinging pain that came along with that wasn’t something that I was in any way prepared . . .

London emcee Skepta released his fourth studio album Konnichiwa, on May 6th. Much like his previous projects, Konnichiwa was released via his Grime label and collective Boy Better Know. Skepta has been gaining a lot of traction lately due to a cosign from a certain Toronto rapper. Would that, paired with Skepta’s talent, be enough to help him . . .